


Green- the Color Of the Christmas Tree

by Natsumiya_Teirin



Series: Green [2]
Category: End Roll (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Morning, First Christmas, Gen, Mikkoku is Informant - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 22:14:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13109574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natsumiya_Teirin/pseuds/Natsumiya_Teirin
Summary: Taking place in the same universe as Green- the Color Of My Love's Sin.It's Russell's first Christmas in the Happy Dream Orphanage, and he isn't really expecting too much. Really, he should just learn to stop expecting anything at this point.





	Green- the Color Of the Christmas Tree

"Russell! C'mon! Get up! It's Christmas!"  
Gardenia pounded away at Russell's bedroom door, uncaring of everyone else who might've been trying to sleep.  
"Get UUUUUUPP!"  
Aaand he stood corrected. Tabitha was there, too. Maybe if he ignored them, they'd go-  
A sudden sharp chill like a light midwinter breeze blew right into his ear, and he abruptly shot up to Mikkoku's cackling. He glowered at his friend, his fists clenched. He looked threatening, but comically so, as the blue bedsheets were pooled around his waist and his bedhead was atrocious.  
"Mi...kko...ku..." he growled. "....never...again..."  
Mikkoku stopped cackling, but still retained his normal smirk. "But Russell- it's Christmas! And you actually got stuff this time!"  
Grumbling with his arms crossed as he slid out of bed, he glared until Mikkoku left the room. Then, as he got dressed, swapping his normal red sweater for a green one, he returned his face to its normal blank expression.  
With a sigh to prepare himself, he opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Just as he thought, Gardenia and Tabitha were already waiting outside his room, having stepped back as soon as the door opened, and Dale, as always, was glued to the latter's hip.  
"Finally! C'mon Russell! Let's go downstairs and see what Santa left us!"  
Dale looked like he was going to say something, probably something about how absurd it was that she still believed in Santa Claus despite being fourteen (two years older than Russell, though it wasn’t like anyone really noticed or cared given their respective maturity levels), but a quick and semi-discrete kick to the shins from Tabitha shut him up.  
Huh. Apparently even Tabitha couldn't stand to see Dale insult someone on Christmas.  
"Don't even bother, Dale- she's too stupid and childish to even get it anyway."  
Oookaaayyy...maybe not then.  
But damn it, it was Christmas in any case, and Russell always had a little more of a heart this time of year anyway, but he also liked Gardenia more than the twins, and maybe Mikkoku didn't say anything, but Russell could tell he was just as annoyed as he was.  
"I don't think she's stupid at all," he said, and he could've stopped there, but damn it it was Christmas, so he continued, "in fact, I think it's admirable, for her to maintain her beliefs in a place full of people who've been forced to give those beliefs up."  
Tabitha crossed her arms, Dale looked confused for a moment, then a little annoyed, but Gardenia looked like Russell had given her the moon and all the stars.  
"You really think so, Russell? That's sooooooo sweet of you to say!" She glomped him, and just this once, he allowed it, even though he didn’t have anything else to say.  
Tabitha huffed. "Well of course you'd think that. No matter how cool you act, you're still a kid, too, after all, so I guess it's to be expected..." she said, and maybe it was just Russell's imagination, but he thought she sounded a little bit regretful of that fact.  
Huh.  
But she was right, potential regret aside. He was still a preteen while the other three were teenagers, even if it was just barely. So he didn’t bother responding save for a shrug and a nonchalant smile, and let Gardenia drag him down the stairs.  
OoO  
The stockings were hung up along one of the higher shelves bookshelves in the foyer, via paperweights with hooks attached to them. They were fluffy and red, traditional, save for where Mireille had lovingly stitched all of their names onto them in cursive with white thread.  
The four of them were quiet as they came down- a habit more than anything now, since most of the babies and toddlers had been adopted that year, so there were fewer kids to risk waking up- and looked at their stockings.  
They weren’t overflowing (not that Russell expected them to be) but they were noticeably fuller than they were last night, and even that was more than he was expecting.  
The four of them carefully took their stockings off their hooks and then sat around the Christmas tree to peek inside them.  
There were candy canes- not traditional mint ones, but those really weird fruity ones- and chocolate Santas, and they each got a toothbrush- color-coded to match their bedrooms- and a small tube of toothpaste, and then small presents suited to each of their personalities. Gardenia got a new hair ornament resembling a sprig of mistletoe. Dale got a pocket-sized notebook. Tabitha got a hairbrush. And Russell got a diary bound in red leather. It even had his name engraved in the corner.  
Russell Seager  
Just looking at it felt comforting.  
"Oooh! Whatcha got there? A diary? Lemme see!"  
Tabitha plucked it from his hands and flipped it open.  
"Huh? This's already been written...in..."  
Abruptly, she dropped it on top of his stocking, swallowed audibly, and returned to her own stocking. Russell picked it up and flipped to the first page.  
You can tell me to "rehabilitate", but I don't really know what I should be doing in this dream. I don't have that "guilt" the adults are talking about in the first place, so not even this dream will blame me.  
...Everyone in this dream is kind, and for now it's just enjoyable. What am I supposedly atoning for in such happiness?  
...I'll have this dream again. That's the happiest thing for me now, and thinking about what'll happen tomorrow makes me feel excited. With only feelings like that, there's no chance I'll be rehabilitated. So I think this experiment is pointless.  
Once they see I'm no good as a subject, of course I'm just going to die. But I don't really care.  
Russell took a moment to ponder the meaning of this. An experiment? Where? Here? It would explain the presence of the diary, and more importantly, its owner who may or may not have been his namesake.  
And it would fit well with the stories Gardenia shared of the room in the basement.  
A puzzled hum drew his attention to Mikkoku, hovering over his shoulder. He was shimmering with edges of silver- like tinsel- instead of the pale gold Russell had grown accustomed to. He did this every year, but only around Christmas, so it was easy to forget.  
"I wonder how the hell that got there..." he said, and Russell couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not.  
"Something like this is hardly a good present. Hardly even a present at all, really."  
His eyes in that moment looked especially poisonous, imbued with a venom even more potent than what he'd normally direct towards the books in the library.  
"Mikkoku...?" Russell dared to ask.  
But he didn’t get an answer, as heavy footsteps entered in from the kitchen.  
"Well, you're all up pretty early," Tabasa remarked as he went to slide his shoes off at the front door.  
Gardenia dropped her stocking, and Russell noticed even though she was wearing her pajamas- a yellow two-piece set with a white star pattern- she'd decided to wear her new ornament. The green and red of it clashed horribly with the yellow of her shirt, but it was only really noticeable from the back.  
"Tabasa! Merry Christmas!" She tackled him in her enthusiasm, wrapping her arms around his torso.  
"Oof!" He barely caught himself from falling and gently pried her off him. "Merry Christmas, Gardenia. And Dale, and Tabitha, and Russell."  
He smiled at them even as he took in the mess they'd made in their haste to empty their stockings.  
"Now, how about you all go put your stuff away in your rooms? Mr. Reitman is making hot cocoa, so we can all sip on that afterwards while we wait for everyone else."  
Russell nodded silently and began replacing everything into his stocking- strange diary included- before he trekked upstairs. He could hear Gardenia voicing her impatience, but knew that she'd do as she was asked in the end. As he entered his room, he could faintly hear Tabitha putting up a fuss, too. Maybe she'd stop after she realized there were still a few little kids she could risk waking up.  
Russell set the stocking on his bed and began emptying it again. The chocolates and candy canes went into a shoe box that was left sitting on an otherwise empty shelf. The diary he put on the shelf just above that, tucked between a copy of The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer and Coraline.  
He heard the door to Raymond's office creak open and realized the man must've chosen to sleep there instead of returning to his own house. Russell gave him a few minutes to go downstairs before he went down himself. He passed Tabitha- and subsequently Dale- on the staircase and nodded in greeting. Tabitha scowled while Dale gave a curt nod of his own.  
He continued on his way and stepped into the foyer to find Tabasa comfortably curled up in the armchair with a steaming mug between his gloved hands. He took a drawn out sip and flashed Russell a grin.  
"Morning, Russell. There are fresh mugs of hot chocolate sitting in the dining room if you want one."  
The blond nodded softly, tacking on a small "Thank you" as an afterthought as he exited into the dining room.  
Just like Tabasa said, there were white mugs full of steaming hot chocolate placed in two rows, one on each side of the long dining table. But there was more than that.  
Along the tops of the walls, along the vertices, red and green streamers had been taped up, coalescing in downward arches, only to be left as dangling spirals at the doorway. They were also looped around the backs of the chairs. The tablecloth had also been replaced with a festive red one decorated with cartoon bells and sprigs of mistletoe, and while it was nowhere near as excessive as the Halloween decorations, it still felt like a bit much.  
Not like he'd ever say that, though. That would imply that he actually cared about how simple something looked (which was utter bull, because everyone knew Christmas was only about getting presents, not how said presents looked).  
Rolling his shoulders, Russell grabbed one of the dozen or so mugs and sipped from it. The hot chocolate scalded his tongue, but he welcomed the warmth anyway. He closed his eyes and waited for his mouth to cool down a little before taking another sip, then he returned to the living room, where Yumi had apparently come in- likely via the front door- and made herself comfortable on the sofa across from Tabasa's chair.  
Russell stood by a bookshelf and instinctively tried to hide- stupid, since he knew none of the adults here would intentionally harm him, but Yumi always seemed like the type who'd accidentally lash out if she was provoked, and he really didn’t want to chance that.  
"So, where's everyone else?" Tabasa asked.  
"Well, Saxon's in the archives, cataloging the kids' Christmas lists. Mireille's helpin'im, an' Kantera's probably gettin' ready to go on one of his daily walks right about now," Yumi answered, smiling.  
"Oh. Okay then. That's what I thought, but I figured I'd ask anyway."  
Gardenia chose that moment to come back down, followed closely by the twins. Something in Tabitha's posture indicated she was in the middle of picking on Gardenia again, but she'd never do that in a room full of adults.  
"Merry Christmas, Yumi!" Gardenia greeted as she hopped down from the last step.  
The blonde turned around in her seat to grin at her.  
"Merry Christmas, Gardenia. Say, can you do me a favor an' wake up Dogma and Cody? Kantera should be comin' up any minute now, and Tabasa can get the little'uns up, an' then we can open presents."  
Gardenia's eyes lit up excitedly. "Okay!" She exclaimed, dashing into the dining room, and from there, into the kitchen. Even from the living room, Russell heard the basement door, which led down to the long hall of rooms where the staff members slept, slam carelessly shut with a bang.  
A moment later, Kantera came in, holding a mug of hot chocolate for himself. He spotted Russell and smiled.  
"Good morning, Russell, and good yule tidings. I trust you slept well?" He went to stand beside the blond, leaning slightly against the wall.  
Russell nodded his head. "Yes," he said simply, then took another sip of his hot chocolate.  
"Splendid. I am glad you appear to be in good health."  
"Oh! There y'are, Kantera! I was wonderin' when you'd pop up!" Yumi suddenly exclaimed, having stood from her seat. Kantera looked at Russell with a slight twinkle in his eyes.  
"Ah. It seems I've been found. And how are you this morning, Yumi?"  
"I'm alright, I s'pose. Now, what were you doin', doc'? Plannin' on goin' for a walk?"  
"Yes. I was considering it, however, upon further reflection, I decided t'would be best if I stayed, at least for now, until after the children have opened their gifts."  
Yumi nodded, as if this was the answer she'd been expecting. "O'course."  
There was a moment of silence before Gardenia bounced into the room, followed shortly by Dogma, who was leading a grumbling Cody behind him.  
"Good morning, everyone," Dogma greeted, slowly waving a hand.  
"Good morning, Father Dogma," Tabasa and Kantera returned, while Yumi and Russell nodded and the twins ignored his presence.  
Cody yawned and took a seat beside Yumi as Dogma walked towards the tree against the wall and grabbed a present from beneath it. It was wrapped somewhat sloppily in green paper, and labeled in a messy scrawl.  
He casually tossed it to Cody, watching as she snapped to attention and caught it just before it could soundly bean her in the head.  
"Oy! Watch it Dogma!" She exclaimed, only mildly annoyed if Russell had to guess by her tone.  
"Then wake up. Help me pass out presents, while you're at it."  
She stood up and stretched her arms above her head. "Fiiiine."  
The two of them handed out the presents to their intended recipients, leaving Tabasa's in a pile beside the armchair as he went to wake up the few toddlers that remained under his care.  
It took maybe five minutes, in which Mikkoku had decided it was safe to hover beside Russell as Dogma and Cody stacked presents at his feet, while Russell himself tried not to let his awkwardness show. He'd never gotten presents from his parents in his last life, and in this one, before he came to Happy Dream, he'd only gotten presents until he was four or five, at which point his new set of parents had started abusing him for his refusal to give up on the supposed ghost of his supposed twin brother.  
That being said, it felt almost surreal to be receiving presents now after so long without having gotten any, but Russell also appreciated it.  
Just as Dogma and Cody were finishing up, Tabasa returned with two sleepy toddlers clinging to the hem of his jacket, and a third one in his arms. Their presents were on the floor near Tabasa's, and there weren’t as many of them as there were for the others.  
Russell almost asked why Raymond, Saxon, and Mireille weren’t there, but then he remembered that Raymond was Jewish, and figured that Mireille had probably chosen to be with Saxon since he, in his old age, probably wouldn’t be able to handle all the excitement.  
"Now, let's open our presents!" Cody eagerly exclaimed.  
Dogma looked like he was going to say something- like he was probably going to reprimand Cody for being impatient- but he pursed his lips and closed his eyes.  
"...alright. Then afterwards, we're all going attending Christmas Mass."  
There were a few groans, but they faded quickly as, with a wave of her hand, Yumi nonverbally told everyone to have at their presents.  
It was loud and hectic, and Russell wondered if it would've been better to have everyone take turns opening presents, and there was wrapping paper everywhere and he almost felt sorry for whoever would have to clean it up.  
Russell opened his own presents slowly, Mikkoku commenting on every new item, and Gardenia adding in her two cents when she happened to look his way.  
It was loud and hectic and Russell was roped into cleaning everything up with Mireille and Tabitha, and it was just as much of a hassle as he thought it would be. But he felt happy, and his heart was near bursting with warm fuzzies, and for his first Christmas at Happy Dream Orphanage, it actually wasn’t that bad. 


End file.
